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The Queen has said she is "deeply saddened" by the devastation wreaked on large parts of Texas by Hurricane Harvey.

In a message to President Donald Trump, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh sent their condolences to the families of the 39 people known to have died.

Tens of thousands of people have been forced from their homes and lost their possessions in the widespread floods which followed the heaviest tropical rainfall ever recorded in the continental US.

The Queen said: "I was deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life and the devastation following the recent terrible floods caused by Hurricane Harvey.

"Prince Philip and I send our sincere condolences to the victims of this disaster, to those who have lost loved ones, and to those who have seen their homes and property destroyed. My thoughts and prayers are with those affected."

Around 364,000 people have already sought federal emergency aid in the wake of the hurricane, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) said.

The storm initially made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in Texas on August 25, before going back out to sea and becoming a tropical storm for days, flooding Texan cities including Houston before moving on to the neighbouring state of Louisiana.